Tuna Mayo Onigiri (Printable)
Classic Japanese rice balls stuffed with creamy tuna mayonnaise filling, wrapped in crispy nori seaweed. Ideal portable snack or lunch.
# What You'll Need:
→ Rice
01 - 2 cups Japanese short-grain rice
02 - 2 1/2 cups water
→ Filling
03 - 1 can (5 oz) tuna in water, drained
04 - 3 tablespoons Japanese mayonnaise (such as Kewpie)
05 - 1 teaspoon soy sauce
06 - 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
→ Assembly
07 - 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
08 - 6 small sheets nori, cut into strips
# How to Prepare:
01 - Rinse the short-grain rice under cold running water several times, gently swirling with your hand, until the runoff turns clear. Drain thoroughly.
02 - Combine the rinsed rice with 2 1/2 cups of water in a rice cooker or heavy-bottomed pot. Cook according to the manufacturer's directions. Once done, let the rice steam and rest for 10 minutes with the lid on.
03 - While the rice rests, flake the drained tuna into a mixing bowl. Add the Japanese mayonnaise, soy sauce, and black pepper. Fold together until the mixture is creamy and evenly combined.
04 - Once the rice is warm but comfortable to handle, moisten both hands lightly with water. Rub a pinch of salt across your palms — this prevents sticking and lightly seasons the exterior.
05 - Scoop roughly 1/2 cup of warm rice into one hand and flatten it into a disc. Place a spoonful of the tuna mayo filling in the center, then gently fold the rice over it. Cup your hands together to shape the onigiri into a triangle or oval, pressing firmly enough to hold its shape without crushing the grains.
06 - Continue shaping the remaining rice and filling into onigiri. Wrap a strip of nori around the base of each onigiri just before serving or packing to keep it crisp.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The filling comes together in under two minutes and tastes exactly like the ones from Japanese konbini stores.
- Shaping onigiri is oddly therapeutic and requires zero special equipment beyond your own two palms.
02 -
- Rice that is too hot will burn your hands and make the nori wilt instantly, so let it cool until you can comfortably hold it.
- Wet hands sound optional but they are absolutely essential because dry hands will turn the shaping process into a sticky disaster.
03 -
- Press the rice with gentle confidence rather than squeezing hard because overworked rice becomes dense and unappealing.
- Keep a bowl of water next to you while shaping so you can re-wet your hands between each onigiri without breaking your rhythm.